


Checkmate

by FenHarelsPride (Andauril)



Series: Siryn Lavellan [16]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Chess, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 14:23:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3813775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andauril/pseuds/FenHarelsPride
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You truly are a dangerous woman, vhenan.”</p><p>An almost smug smile spread over her face. “Does that mean you admit defeat, Solas? Because it looks like checkmate to me ...”</p><p>He laughed. She was sly, but she had not yet beaten him. He would play along with her cheating – he found it amusing, even intriguing. She was a worthy opponent, not because she excelled at chess, but because she had been able to turn the tables to her advantage with her unconventional thinking.</p><p>He made his move, taking his king out of danger, and she huffed, but then shrugged.</p><p>“I know now what you can’t do, Solas.” She moved her remaining tower. “You can’t give up.”</p><p>***</p><p>Siryn Lavellan challenges Solas to a game of chess ... She has her own methods of winning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Checkmate

The board had been left with the black king upset, a number of black and white chess pieces standing on both its side. A few moments ago, he had watched Commander Cullen and Dorian Pavus leaving the gardens, both of them returning to their duties.

The games of chess between those two seemed to have become a regularity, repeated every once at a week, only disrupted when Siryn decided to take Dorian with her at her outings.

Solas took one of the chess pieces from the board, turning it between its fingers. It had been such a long time … The pieces had changed, and very little about them reminded now of their _elvhen_ origins. Once, he had played it with … He suppressed a sigh.

Carefully, he sat the piece back onto the board.

He was about to turn around when he heard steps behind him, and paused.

“Taking a break?”

“No. I was just about to return to my work.”

Siryn huffed quietly behind him, one of her hands trailing along his waist as she stepped closer. “It is almost evening, you know? Creators, you’re almost worse than Cullen … He’s used to work until late in the night, no wonder his headaches won’t go away.” She turned around to look at him. The look upon her face was both genuinely caring and challenging. “I don’t want you to get a headache, _‘ma vhenan’ara._ ”

“And what would you do about it?”

Siryn laughed lightly. “As your superior, I order you to take a break and …” Her eyes trailed over to the chess table, and a smile spread all over her face, sparkling in her eyes. “… play a game of chess with me.”

“You are not as skilled at the game, if I recall correctly.”

She shrugged. “Only one way for you to find out.”

A slight chuckle escaped his lips. She was right – maybe he needed a break. There was little he could do right now to try to locate Corypheus faster. He seemed to have vanished into thin air, as there were no clues about his current whereabouts or about the location he indented to go to next.

A little distraction would do little harm, and he could not ignore the fact that he was actually glad that she had asked him. He did not know how long it would take them to finally find and defeat Corypheus, but after they had interfered with his plans at Halamshiral and Adamant, he suspected that it would not take another year.

His time with her was precious, and it was running short.

“Alright. I think I would enjoy playing chess with you, _vhenan_.”

“You certainly will.” She started to prepare the board, putting piece after piece back to their fields. “Black or white?”

“I leave that choice to you.”

“ _Ma nuvenin._ I’ll take white, then.” She sat down, looking over the chess table with slightly squinted eyes.

She squared her shoulders, tossing her white-blond hair with one fluid motion back and an inviting smile rushed over her lips, and the moment was gone.

Solas sat down, waiting for her to make the first move.

Siryn’s hand hovered for a moment over the white pawns, until she grabbed one of them and moved it two squares.

Solas pondered for a moment, until he moved one of his own black pawns forth.

It took him two moves to capture her first pawn, and she repaid him another two later. He did not care much about it. She was not particular bad, but her tactic revealed that she was untrained, unpracticed, and sometimes her pieces escaped capture only by improvising from her part.

If she provided any challenge, it was because he could not always predict her moves. Still, she did not follow any specific strategy, or if she did, he was unable to see it.

He sacrificed one of his mages to take her tower, and she grimaced.

“I can still win this.” She starred at the chess board, fingers hovering only inches over the pieces, and slowly – almost hesitantly – moved her remaining tower two squares. “I should’ve mentioned that chess isn’t exactly a Dalish game.”

“Curious.” He moved his knight, maneuvering it into a position which would allow him to strike and break the defense she had built around her queen.

“Why curious? Chess is a game with a limited number of players, and we are very sociable people.” She frowned at the game board, and moved her queen back a square. “We like games which can be played in groups.”

“I thought as much. I only find it interesting because chess is originally elven.”

“You don’t say!” She laughed.

Solas smirked. “Of course the rules have changed over the centuries. If I recall correctly, the original chess featured two more pawns and another pair of chess pieces. The rules were also more complicated. Maybe that was the reason why Tevinter changed them.” He moved his remaining mage. “The Elvhenan chess is no longer played, however. A shame.”

Siryn, moving one of her pawns, smiled at him. “Don’t say that you can play _that_ too!”

“I would be lying if I told you I cannot, _vhenan._ ”

Siryn laughed, shaking her head. “You’re full of surprises. A dreamer, an artist, an incredibly gifted mage, an expert bluffer, a storyteller, a dancer … is there anything you _can’t_ do?”

He chuckled. “There are plenty of things I cannot do.” He moved his knight, capturing her mage.

“That’s a relief. But I won’t deny that I enjoy your many talents. I like a little challenge.” She glanced down at the board, moving one of her pawns. “I would ask you to teach me the elvhen chess variant, but I’m still trying to figure _this_ out.” She nodded at the chess board, a slight frown creasing her brows, watching him as he moved another one of his own chess pieces.

They played in silence for another few rounds, another few minutes. He watched her while she moved her pieces, savoring the way her face shifted when she managed to make good move or to capture one of his pieces, as well as how she frowned and pursed her lips every time he took on of hers.

She was no true challenge, but he enjoyed the game with her nonetheless. He enjoyed for her presence, for her smiles and her frowns, for the way she cocked her head in content or pursed her lips when she was displeased. Every little gesture of her, he preserved, memorized, for he knew these moments were precious.

“I needed that too”, she said, leaning forth, half-rising from her chair. “That day was pretty tiresome. And still nothing from …” She sighed, forcing the smile back onto her lips. “I’m glad you’re here, Solas, and take this break with me. We can’t be the Inquisitor and her Fade advisor twenty-four hours a day.”

“No. Thank you for reminding me.”

She closed the remaining distance between them, and her lips brushed lightly over his. It was a short, sweet kiss, soft and warm, little more than a slight touch of their lips.

 _“Sathem”_ , she murmured before she sank back onto her chair, the corner of her lips tugging into a little smile …

Solas set to move on of his pieces and paused. Her queen suddenly stood threateningly close to his king, with his defenses slightly weakened where it had once been solid.

He stared at the suddenly changed chess formation and could not help the amused smile which grew upon his lips.

She truly was unpredictable. He should have known she would resort to such techniques, and yet he had not expected it to happen … She must have moved the pieces while she had kissed him, diverting his attention from the chessboard with her touch …

“You truly are a dangerous woman, _vhenan.”_

An almost smug smile spread over her face. “Does that mean you admit defeat, Solas? Because it looks like checkmate to me ...”

He laughed. She was sly, but she had not yet beaten him. He would play along with her cheating – he found it amusing, even intriguing. She was a worthy opponent, not because she excelled at chess, but because she had been able to turn the tables to her advantage with her unconventional thinking.

He made his move, taking his king out of danger, and she huffed, but then shrugged.

“I know now what you can’t do, Solas.” She moved her remaining tower. “You can’t give up.”

“Very true”, he admitted. It was something he could never afford. If he admitted defeat, if he ever surrendered, this world would never be corrected. His _vhenan_ would wither away and die, and her – and his – people would fall …

“But you’ve already lost.”

“I do not believe so.”

“Careful, _vhenan_. I’m a dangerous woman.”

He looked at the chess table, inwardly smiling, and moved his remaining mage across the board. “I am well aware of that, Siryn.”

“Good!” Almost casually, she moved one of her pawns forward. A move to make a move, he noticed – it was not aiming at anything.

He observed the chess board, pondering at which move he should do next. Her king was protected – she could easily take his pieces if he tried to threaten it – but …

He moved his queen.

She reacted just as he had predicted, capturing the chess piece with a triumphant smile. And created the opening he had looked for.

One move later and his knight threatened her king.

She looked down at her pieces, pursing her lips, rolling her eyes, and tried to move her king out of danger.

With a move of his remaining mage, he trapped the white king.

“You forgot that I, also, am dangerous, _vhenan._ Checkmate.”

Siryn cocked her head slightly. Her eyes wandered over the board, over black and white chess pieces alike, until they finally rested upon his king – which, he knew, was now no longer in danger. There was no move she could make to turn the tables again in her favor.

“Are you sure, Solas?”

“Very much so.”

With a devious smile that soon spread all over her faces, she reached almost casually out to the black king and took it. Rising from her chair, she jumped back, out of his reach, and rolled the chess piece triumphantly between her fingers.

“I don’t think so.”

Solas rose from his chair, but she minced back, out of his reach.

He shook his head, and could not help but laugh. He should have expected this from her, and yet she had once again surprised him. Obviously he was not the only one who found it difficult to give up. With a little jump, she escaped him, white-blond hair dancing around her cheeks which reddened as she joined into his laughter.

“Checkmate!” she said, and Solas, still laughing, admitted defeat.

 

 


End file.
